Millennials reward Maddow’s conspiracy journalism

Rachel Maddow is proving that in the age of Trump, you can trip, but still somehow fall upwards.

The MSNBC host was the most watched cable news host in the coveted 25-54 demographic for the third straight week. This comes after Maddow tweeted on March 14th to her audience that she has a copy of President Trump’s tax returns, only to reveal that she had two pages of his 1040 form of his 2005 tax return.

While Maddow thought she had a damning exclusive that would reveal Trump’s connections to Russia or show that he never paid taxes, the opposite happened. Trump actually paid a higher tax rate on his federal income taxes than Barack Obama, Bernie Sanders, or Warren Buffett.

After the immense criticism Maddow received about her tease with attacks on her journalistic integrity, her ratings have never been better. “The Rachel Maddow Show” averaged 678,000 viewers from the 25-54 demo, beating Fox News’ “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” which averaged 629,000 viewers.

Late night host, Stephen Colbert, who hilariously lampooned Rachel Maddow’s segment, has seen a ratings surge this year due to his anti-Trump jokes and positions. So, it’s not surprising to see Maddow receive a huge bump from her coverage of Trump.

However, Maddow’s success appears less than warranted after not delivering on her promise of presenting President Trump’s tax returns. It’s an indictment on the viewers that they rather see theatrics over real journalism and reporting.